


‘tis the damn season

by simplyverstappen



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Charles is very done, Christmas, Christmas Miracle, Crack, Enemies to Friends, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, I PROMISE THIS IS A CHRISTMAS FIC, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, Jos Verstappen's A+ Parenting, M/M, Magical Realism, Max is a bit of a dick the first half of the fic ngl, Swearing, a bit of angst, bc Max, honestly this fic is a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:28:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28287726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/simplyverstappen/pseuds/simplyverstappen
Summary: Max hates Christmas with a passion. Hates how fake-cheerful everyone is, hates the stress he suddenly has every December when he realises he needs to get presents for everyone who is somehow close to him and he hates that everyone is suddenly preaching about the importance of family.or alternatively, Charles is suddenly in Max's kitchen and Max is really fucking done with everything
Relationships: Alexander Albon/Lando Norris/George Russell (mentioned), Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 36
Kudos: 140





	‘tis the damn season

**Author's Note:**

> MERRY CHRISTMAS! 💛
> 
> Honestly, I wanted to write a Christmas fic for SO LONG but didn't know what exactly and then I did this and it's just ... a big mess. And crack. And yet so close to my heart somehow skdjjsdsd
> 
> Everyone I told about the plot was like ???? and honestly, it's a mood but I hope you enjoy this mess anyway 💛
> 
> I hope you all have a couple of peaceful days ahead of you, no matter if you celebrate or not 💛

Max hates Christmas with a passion. Hates how fake-cheerful everyone is, hates the stress he suddenly has every December when he realises he needs to get presents for everyone who is somehow close to him and he hates that everyone is suddenly preaching about the importance of family. 

And Christmas is always during the winter break which Max hates just as much.

Winter break means no racing. 

Winter break means no Daniel. 

His old teammate always tries spending the break at home in Australia with his family and it basically means that, if Max is really unlucky, he doesn’t get to see Daniel for over two months.

He hates not seeing Daniel. 

And if he has to listen to ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ one more time he’ll punch someone. 

Max unlocks his apartment door, stepping in the hallway and taking a deep breath, kicking the door shut behind him. 

Christmas is so unnecessary. 

He chucks his coat in the corner, not bothering to hang it up before slipping out of his shoes, kicking them away and dropping his keys and phone in the bowl next to the door. 

He’s not going home for Christmas this year, consequently hurting his mother with that decision (and Victoria and probably Jaye and- alright, Jason is too young to even notice and his father probably doesn’t even care if he’s there or not) but it’s not like Max cares much about it. 

He hates the holidays, he doesn’t want anyone around and he prefers staying in Monaco. Brad will join him after the holidays so they can train together and Max knows he pulls Brad away from some well-deserved family time. 

Knows that Brad doesn’t see his family much during the year and Max wanting to have him in Monaco directly after Christmas until testing in Barcelona starts again is incredibly selfish. 

And yet he still doesn’t find it in him to care. 

He wants to become World Champion next season and everyone has to make sacrifices for that. He does and the same goes for his team. 

And yet Max catches himself missing Daniel again when he removes his beanie and scarf, dropping it next to his coat on the floor. 

Daniel always seems to make everything better, makes the whole racing environment better. Makes Max’s life better, brighter. 

Max hates himself for feeling that way. He’s not _gay_ , he’s just- he really likes Daniel and he wants to be close to him all the time, wants to kiss him and wake up next to him and cuddle with him and _maybe_ he wants his dick inside of him but he’s _not gay_. 

He doesn’t like men, he is straight. 

He just likes Daniel who, yes, happens to be a man, but Max is not ready to have a full-on existential crisis over his sexuality. 

After all, there are no gay racing drivers. 

Or that’s what his father always told him and while Max knows his Dad’s methods seem ... questionable to some people he knows what he’s talking about. He was a race driver, after all, he knows everything about racing. 

Max steps into his kitchen, wanting to get himself a Red Bull from the fridge (Brad disapproves but honestly, they all have their guilty pleasures and he trains so much, it’s alright) when he stops dead in his tracks. 

Charles - Charles fucking Leclerc - is sitting on his kitchen counter, eating the Christmas cookies Max’s mother sent him and Max hasn’t touched once since he opened the parcel a couple of days ago. Charles is wearing some oversized, ugly as fuck, Burberry hoodie and a bandana and he looks up when Max comes in, a smile spreading over his face. 

“Max, took you a while!”, he calls, lowering the plate with the Christmas cookies and Max stares at him speechless. “What the _fuck_ are you doing in my apartment, Leclerc?!”

“Waited for you.” Charles shrugs, grinning and Max blinks, still frozen to the spot. “How did you even get in????”

“Through the door.” Charles shrugs again, looking completely unbothered and Max promises himself to have a serious conversation with the guys in the lobby. Charles doesn’t even _live_ here, who gave him a _key_ -

“What do you want?”, he grumbles, crossing his arms in front of his chest, not sure what to do. He doesn’t want Charles in his apartment, they’re not friends, colleagues at best and Charles’ grin widens.

He puts the plates with the Christmas cookies next to him before jumping from the counter (rather gracefully, Max admits grumpily) and takes a step forward.

“We need to go, Lewis is already waiting for us”, he tells him, looking way more serious all of a sudden and Max frowns. “What?”

“Lewis. Is waiting for us.” 

“Hamilton?”

“How many Lewis do you know?”

“What does he want?” 

Why would he go and see Lewis Hamilton? Today? On the 22nd of December? 

“Stop asking questions and come on.” Charles seems to get impatient, grabbing Max’s arm and Max tries to free himself but _wait since when is Charles so strong_ and _why the fuck is Charles dragging him out of his apartment_?! 

He manages just in time to grab a jacket, he’s not even wearing _shoes_ and while there is no snow in Monaco during December it’s still _cold_ -

Max stops once again dead in his tracks when they leave his apartment building and he sees no other than George Russell leaning against a black Mercedes G-class, wearing a grey coat and a smirk on his face. 

“Took you long enough”, he comments while Charles just keeps dragging Max to the car and Charles shrugs, pushing Max rather roughly on the backseat. “He was being a bitch again.”

Max would’ve defended himself if he wasn’t currently trying to figure out if it's worth a try to run away but he realises he forgot his keys in his flat (and his fucking phone) and then George and Charles are in the car and George started driving and Max is not sure if he’s supposed to panic.

“Are you kidnapping me?!” His voice thankfully isn’t betraying him, he might be freaking out a little on the inside though and it doesn’t help that George and Charles just laugh. 

Dickheads. 

“Why would we want to kidnap you?”, Charles counters the question and Max is really close to kicking him. Or punching. He doesn’t want to be around people and he especially doesn’t want to be around Charles Leclerc right now. 

It’s enough that he has to deal with him every race weekend. 

George- Max has nothing against George he seems like a decent guy but Max has never really been a part of the ‘Twitch Quartett’ like Lando, Alex, George or Charles. Max in general never had a lot of friends in F1 - he got along well enough with Carlos during their time as teammates and yes, he became friends with Daniel and somehow Lando managed to befriend him but that’s it. 

The others are co-workers, people he only sees during race weekends and _no_ , he’s not jealous of Charles for getting along so well with the other drivers. Definitely not. 

He’s not here to make friends, he’s here to win a World Championship. 

“But we also can’t tell you where we are going, all top secret you know?”, Charles suddenly goes on, raising his hand and Max instinctively flinches, an instinct he has since he was a child - he’s genuinely scared for a second that Charles is going to punch him, to knock him out. 

But Charles just shakes his hand a bit in his direction, golden glitter falling down on him and Max wants to mock him when he feels himself slowly passing out.

~

When he wakes up again they’re still driving, his head is on Charles’ shoulder - Charles doesn’t seem too happy about it but apparently tolerates it and Max flinches back, staring at him with wide eyes. “What the _fuck_ did you do to me??”

Charles just rolls his eyes, the car comes to a halt and when Max looks out of the window he’s really close to panicking again. 

He doesn’t recognise where they are. And, what makes it worse, there’s snow all around them _and there was no trace of snow in Monaco_. They’re in some small town or village, covered in snow and Christmas lights and Max tries to control his breathing, his hand gripping the edge of his hoodie. 

The only thing keeping him from freaking out right now is the rational part of his brain clinging on to the fact that these are _Charles Leclerc and George Russell_. 

His _co-workers_. 

It’s probably some sick prank from Ferrari and Williams (Max ignores the golden glitter because that still freaks him out)

He has always known Ferrari were clowns 

They have stopped in front of a small palace, unlike any other palace Max has ever seen and he flinches again when Charles gives him a little push, George already being out of the car. 

“Come on, mate, we don’t have all day.” 

Max opens the door at the urgent undertone in his voice and he steps outside, flinching again when his shoeless feet hit the cold snow. Fuck. 

Before he can say something though Seb is suddenly coming towards them and _they got Seb involved_?! Definitely some bad prank from Ferrari then even though Max would’ve never thought Seb agrees to something idiotic like that. 

“Charles, why is Max not wearing shoes?”, Seb asks exasperatedly and Charles’ eyes widen when they fall on Max’s soaked socks. “Oh shit. We were a bit in a hurry you know and he asked so many questions and-“

Seb just sighs very deeply and Max wants to say something (Seb is a real adult, right? He can get him back home??) when Seb waves his hand, some more golden glitter falls on Max’s feet and suddenly he’s wearing winter boots and has dry feet.

Max is pretty sure he’s close to passing out any second now. 

Is that some sick trick? Some prank? What the-

“Sorry about that, Charles is a bit chaotic sometimes - he’s still learning”, Seb turns to Max and Max wants to say something but then Seb just pulls him along, straight to the palace, George and Charles following them with huge grins on their faces and Max is just very confused.

At least he has shoes now. Even though he does not want to think about the _how_. 

He follows Seb into the palace, it's rather homey, nearly _cosy_ , a fire burning in a chimney to their right, dark red carpets in the long corridor and they enter some kind of - it has to be a throne room even though it’s just a simple room and no hall. 

A very cosy room though with a fireplace on his right. 

And in front of them, on a fucking throne, sits no other than Lewis Hamilton. Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton, soon-to-be knighted by the Queen herself. 

Max stares at him, genuinely speechless and he’s pretty sure he’s going insane. 

So they got Mercedes involved as well given that Valtteri stands next to Lewis’ ... throne?? 

And, Max realises, Pierre is there too, standing next to Valtteri, and Nico Rosberg - _Nico fucking Rosberg_ \- is standing next to Lewis, a small smile on his face when they come inside. 

So Ferrari, Mercedes, one Williams’ driver and somehow they talked Pierre into this too.

Max is really done with this and all he wants to do is go back home and play some iRacing. 

Doesn’t look like this is going to happen anytime soon though and they stop in front of the throne, Max raising an eyebrow. 

“Never thought you’d be one for a throne”, he remarks dryly, sarcasm dripping from his voice. “Always thought you were more humble.”

Lewis just smiles, he doesn’t look offended in the slightest and he leans back, his eyes wandering over Max’s body. 

Max feels really uncomfortable all of a sudden especially given that Lewis looks once again as if he’s going to the MET gala. 

“Max”, he says mildly, “so glad you could make it.”

“It’s not like I had a choice, right?”, Max bites back and he crosses his arms in front of his chest, glaring at Charles who just smiles innocently.

Fucking prick. 

“We want to make you an offer, Max”, Lewis says calmly, completely ignoring his comment and Max stares at him confused. 

“An ... offer?”, he repeats slowly and Lewis nods, crossing his legs. “Yes. I’m sure you wondered where you are and what all of this means so let me explain.”

He gives him another smile, running a hand through his braids while his other hand reaches for Nico’s (Max tries very hard not to stare too much he thought they _hated each other_?!)

“I’m the God of Christmas”, Lewis stares calmly and Max is pretty sure this is some kind of fever dream right now. “What?!”

Did he eat something wrong in Abu Dhabi? Catch some cold? Influenza? 

“Or the Saint of Christmas, God is such a big word.” Lewis frowns, waving dismissively and Max is very concerned for his colleague. Is he alright? Did Mercedes give him something that would lead to hallucinations? Is it the vegan food? Doping? 

“But you’re an F1 driver”, he carefully points out and Lewis laughs. “Oh yeah, that too. We all have to keep ourselves occupied during the year, you know? We only work during the Christmas season and it gets a bit boring otherwise.”

Of course. Max could’ve thought about that, really. 

The Saint of Christmas is bored during the year so he becomes an F1 driver. 

Absolutely logical.

Sure. 

“We make sure Christmas around the world goes smoothly”, Lewis continues and his eyes fall on Seb and the other drivers around him. “Nico, Seb, Valtteri, George and Pierre are angels, working for me and helping me.”

“Charles … is an angel?!” Max stares at him with raised eyebrows, not sure if he wants to laugh or to scream. Preferably both. 

“Yeah.” Lewis smiles and Max scoffs. Charles, an angel. Yeah, sure, and he’s Sinterklaas. 

“You do know this is all bullshit, right?”, Max says dryly, “there's no ‘Saint of Christmas’. Angels don’t exist.”

“They do and you’re surrounded by them”, Charles huffs, looking a bit offended and Max snorts. “You’re insane, mate.”

“It’s not about if you’re believing in it or not”, Lewis chides in, “because frankly, it doesn’t matter. We’re not here to discuss my existence.”

Max stares at him, not sure what to do. He only has three options here: a) everything Lewis says is true. But that’s also the most unrealistic option and he is tempted to rule it out completely if there weren’t the incidents with the golden glitter and his new winter boots.

Option B is that this is all still some very elaborate prank by Ferrari and a few other teams who enjoy fucking with him during the winter break and want him to think he is going insane, weaken his chances for the championship next season. Maybe it’s all part of the great Ferrari master plan. 

And option C is that all of his co-workers here have gone insane and really believe in all that bullshit and Max isn’t sure if he should feel sorry for them or worry about his own safety. 

Probably both.

Charles did kidnap him after all. 

“Then ... why am I here?”, he asks slowly, trying to keep his hands from shaking and his voice steady. He’s not going to show any weakness in front of Charles Leclerc now. 

Or anyone, for that matter. 

“As I said, we want to make you an offer”, Lewis says calmly and his face turns serious. “It’s about Daniel.”

That sentence alone is enough for Max to tense up, his heartbeat picking up - what the hell?? What has Daniel to do with all of this-

“We know you’re in love with him-“

“What the fuck mate, I am _not gay_ -“

“And I also know you’re suffering, Max.” Lewis’ voice turned soft, his brown eyes kind and Max just wants to run, feeling his cheeks heat up. No. No, they can’t know about his stupid crush, this is going to ruin everything- 

Do they want him to drop points during the races for their silence? For not telling Daniel about his crush? 

“We want to help you”, Nico adds now, it’s the first time he’s speaking and Max’s eyes flicker to him, his hands grabbing the edge of his hoodie again. He’s pretty sure he’s close to a panic attack. 

If all of his colleagues noticed- fuck. Fuck fuck fuck what if _Daniel_ noticed what if this is some kind of intervention staged by Daniel to tell him he’s not into him- 

“We won’t tell anyone, don’t worry”, Pierre throws in, seeming to sense that Max is very close to a breakdown and Lewis nods immediately. “The rest of the grid doesn’t know, Max, don’t worry.”

That doesn’t calm Max in the slightest though. 

“I’m not- Daniel- I’m not in love with him”, he tries to defend himself weakly but Charles just scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Mate, you are, every blind person can see that.”

Max has a sudden desire to punch Charles again. 

“There’s a small gala coming up”, Lewis gets back to the topic, “a few of the drivers are invited, there’s food, some dancing. Daniel will be there, not in Australia.”

“And what has that to do with me?” Max is surprised his voice hasn’t left him yet. 

“You have until midnight to get your shit together,” George smirks. “We give you a chance, Max - fix things with Daniel, get a move on.”

“And why would I need your help for that?”, Max bites back. “Even if I had a thing for Daniel, why do I need you?”

“Because you have the tendency to fuck things up”, Valtteri states bluntly, looking completely unimpressed when Max glares at him and Lewis nods. “Exactly. It’s why Charles will accompany you, making sure it’s all going according to plan.”

“ _What_?!” Max stares at Lewis in horror, Charles doesn’t look too happy either. “Why do I have to go, Lewis, honestly, why can’t George or Pierre-“

“It will be good for you”, Lewis interrupts him, George grinning and Max snorts. “And how do you expect me to ‘make a move’ on Daniel if that dickhead is constantly around me third-wheeling?”

“He’s invisible, no one except you will be able to see him”, Seb says calmly. “Trust me. Charles practised the invisibility charm for months now, he’s qualified for this.”

Max doesn’t know what throws him off more, the fact that Seb is talking about invisibility charms as if he’s talking about tyre temperatures or the fact that Charles is apparently _qualified to play his invisible babysitter for a whole evening_. 

His life is a fucking joke, honestly 

Maybe he really caught something in Abu Dhabi 

“So. You agree?” Valtteri raises his eyebrows and Max blinks slowly, his brain still trying to process what he just learned.

“Why me?”, he asks eventually, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Why not anyone else?”

“Because we could feel your miserable energy through the whole paddock”, Charles snorts, “it was getting annoying.”

“And Lando kept telling Alex and me how much Daniel means to you”, George adds with a grin and Seb sighs. “We’re doing it because we care about you and your happiness, Max.”

That’s the first time Max hears that and he holds back a snort, just staring at Lewis. “Suddenly, huh? Didn’t notice that on track.”

“Formula 1 and my job are two completely different things, Max.” 

Max is still staring at him, trying to wrap his head around all of this. 

“And what do you want from me for that? If you think I’ll let anyone of you pass me on track or throw points away-“

“For God’s sake, Max, we don’t want anything from you for helping you!” Lewis rolls his eyes, he looks a bit annoyed by now and Max is a little bit proud that he finally got a reaction out of Lewis. “It's Christmas soon and we are doing it as an act of kindness! As Seb said, we care about you and your happiness.”

Max doesn’t know what to say to that, staring at Lewis speechless and his throat is a bit dry. “I-“

He doesn’t believe them one bit. But it looks like they won’t back off and he sighs deeply, deciding to play along. If he really embarrasses himself he can still beat them all on track next season and honestly, he just wants to go back home. 

“Sure. Let’s do it.” He shrugs and a big smile breaks out on Lewis’ face. “Brilliant. Charles?”

Charles sighs deeply, turning to Max and extending his hand. “Let’s go then.”

Max stares at him a bit confused and Charles groans. “Take my hand, you dickhead.” 

Oh hell no. 

Max is definitely not- but they’re all staring at them, Seb has his Disappointed Dad Look on his face again and Max rolls his eyes before he grabs Charles’ hand, maybe squeezing it a bit harder than necessary. 

The world turns black around him and before Max has even time to panic he passes out.

~

When he gains consciousness again he’s standing in front of his apartment complex, Charles next to him and Max stares at the building, the cold wind howling past him. 

Did he just dream all of this-

“Let’s go.” Charles pushes him and Max stumbles forward, catching himself just in time to not meet the concrete face-front before he turns around to glare at Charles. “Stop that, dickhead!”

A few people who pass him on the pavement give him odd looks and Max remembers that Seb said no one will be able to see Charles. But Charles is _right there_ -

Charles grins again, seemingly guessing his thought process and Max sighs, muttering a “come on” before he heads into the building only to realise he has no keys when he stands in front of his door. 

Before he can say something or head back into the lobby Charles _walks through the solid wood of the door_ and Max is pretty sure he’s close to hyperventilating. No. Charles did not just- 

The door swings open, Charles grinning broadly at him and Max swallows dryly, trying to calm his racing heart. This is absolutely insane and he slowly starts to realise that Lewis might have said the truth. 

It scares him shitless and he steps inside his apartment, closing the door behind him with a deep breath. Okay. There is the gala tonight but he has no invite and- 

Before Charles can say something (and he looks like he just wanted to make another stupid comment) there’s a knock on the door and Max frowns. “Who’s that?”

“I don’t know? I can’t see through doors”, Charles bites back. “Maybe open it?”

“No shit Sherlock”, Max murmurs and he’s a bit surprised to find Nico Hulkenberg in front of his door. 

“...hi?”, he says slowly and Hulk grins. “Mate, can I come in?” 

He doesn’t seem to notice who’s standing right next to Max and Max nods, stepping aside while purposefully pushing Charles a little with that - payback for before. 

Dickhead. 

Charles makes an offended sound but Hulk still doesn’t seem to notice, heading straight for the kitchen and Max follows him slowly, noticing how Hulk puts his scarf down and on the kitchen counter, a huge grin on his face. 

“I actually just came by to ask if you are going to that gala tonight as well”, he starts, running a hand through his hair. “Most of the drivers will be there and I heard there is free alcohol.”

He smirks and Max clears his throat, quickly nodding. “Yeah, sure. I just- I don’t think I’m on the guestlist though.”

He tries to sound indifferent about it but he can’t help but feel a bit hurt for not getting an invite. He knows he’s not the most popular driver. Knows people in the paddock think he’s arrogant and a bit difficult and a dick. 

It has never really bothered him but now- 

He only has until midnight and - he checks the clock on the wall - it’s already 5 pm. 

“No worries, mate, I’ll sort that for you. It starts around 8 pm, I’ll text you the address.” Hulk grins before he leaves again and Max stares after him for a second, trying to somehow make sense of it all. 

Is this one of the Christmas miracles his Mum has always told him about when he was a kid? Maybe. Even though Max doesn’t know what exactly he did to deserve this. 

“Do you have a suit?” Charles’ voice pulls him from his thoughts and Max stares at him a bit lost. “What?”

“Do you have a suit, an outfit for tonight, Cinderella?”, Charles repeats impatiently and Max crosses his arms defensively in front of his chest, ignoring the last part. “Of course I have a suit.”

He has been to the FIA Galas before after all. And award ceremonies. 

“Great, show me.” Charles raises one eyebrow and Max rolls his eyes before he heads into his bedroom, opening his closet. “Here.”

Charles inspects his suit before his eyes fall on the bow tie and he snorts. “You’re not wearing that.”

“Excuse me?”

“That thing looks absolutely hideous.” Charles snorts, shaking his head. “Do you have _any_ fashion sense, Max??”

“I’m an F1 driver not a fucking fashion blogger, Leclerc.”

“Yeah, but you could at least _try_ to wear something else than denim, caps and team gear.”

“Shut up, just because you have that Armani contract doesn’t mean you know shit about fashion.”

Max still feels haunted by those fucking newspaper pants Charles wore some time ago. 

“Yeah, whatever you are not wearing that.” Charles snorts before he turns to the closer and starts searching, sometimes pulling a piece of clothing out to inspect it. 

Max rolls his eyes and decides to go and play some iRacing - he really doesn’t want to spend more time with Charles than necessary.

~

Two hours later he’s wearing a black suit with a white dress shirt, his outfit is Charles-approved and while Max hates to admit it: he looks pretty good. 

Not that he would ever say that. 

Charles’ ego is already big enough without Max telling him. 

They make their way to the gala, Max driving his Aston Martin through Monte-Carlo and he tries his best to ignore Charles who’s next to him on the passenger seat and seems to have taken a liking to commenting on his driving style. 

“No need to take the corner this harshly”, Charles comments after they turn left at a traffic light and Max grits his teeth, pressing the gas pedal down. “Shut the fuck it, Leclerc. Just because you drive like a grandma-“

“Didn’t stop me from overtaking you in Abu Dhabi”, Charles interrupts him with a sweet smile. “And I had a grid penalty.”

Max tightens his grip around the steering wheel and he curses Lewis in his head for leaving him with Charles. He is pretty sure he would’ve gotten along way better with George or Pierre and he decides against answering, knowing it would only escalate once again. 

They stop in front of the venue in downtown Monte-Carlo and Max glares at Charles. “I swear to god, don’t fuck this up for me.”

“Nah, I’m pretty sure you’ll do that on your own”, Charles mutters, following him out of the car and Max scowls but decides against answering as they’re around people again. No one can see Charles and he doesn’t want to look crazy. 

He shows the guy at the entrance his invite before entering the venue, Charles following him like a shadow and Max takes a deep breath when he’s in the hall.

There’s a buffet on one side, two bars, hundreds of men and women in expensive suits and evening gowns and a few huge, sparkling Christmas trees in the corners. It’s loud, music blasting in the background and Max swallows dryly, slowly walking through the crowd. 

Charles whistles quietly through his teeth while taking everything in and Max suddenly feels incredibly alone. No one is paying him any attention and while he does spot a few familiar faces no one is talking to him or greeting him. 

It’s kind of his own fault though. 

He suddenly feels awkward, reminded of his days at the karting track when he was a child and felt like a total outsider. 

He scoffs internally, pushing the thoughts back. What bullshit, this is really not the same situation and he lets his gaze wander through the room. 

He can’t spot Daniel yet, it’s 8.30 pm and he feels himself getting a bit restless. 

He has three and a half hours left and he doesn’t even know what to do when he spots Daniel. Just tell him he has feelings for him? 

Max is not sure if that works. 

He spots Lando in the corner, chatting and laughing with Alex, Billy and Carlos and Max swallows dryly. So his teammate did get an invite and he didn’t. 

No big deal, really. It’s probably because Lando and Alex are close friends and- 

“You wanna stand here the whole evening?”, Charles comments dryly and Max, after making sure no one is paying any attention to him, scowls. “Shut up, if I need some bad advice I’ll ask.”

“I’m just saying.” Charles raises his hands defensively, leaning against the bar behind him. “There’s a reason why you’re not in the group chat.”

Max stills and slowly turns his head, staring at Charles. “What group chat?”, he asks, his voice a bit rough and he feels a cold feeling in his stomach. There isn’t a group chat, only the official one for the drivers to communicate and-

They- the Twitch Quartett maybe but- if there was another group Lando would’ve told Max, right? He would’ve added him? He feels his throat tighten a little, the feelings from his childhood present again all of a sudden. 

Max has been terribly lonely while growing up, shielded by his Dad and he never quite managed to make friends with the other drivers. Which, yes, he knows is mostly his own fault. 

And yet. Yet he has always felt a bit left out and Charles looks like he said too much, a shocked expression on his face. “I- forget I said that there isn’t-“

“I don’t care”, Max brushes him off, trying his best to sound indifferent about it. “I wouldn’t want to be in it anyway.” 

That’s a lie but no one has to know that. 

He crosses his arms in front of his chest before looking back at the crowd, trying his best to focus on the task at hand. 

Daniel. He needs to find Daniel and then it’ll all be good. 

What does he care about Lando and the others, he doesn’t need them. Again, he didn’t come to Formula One to make friends and he switched his phone off before entering the venue so he won’t get distracted. 

“You have three more hours”, Charles supplies helpfully and Max glares at him again. “I didn’t ask.”

He knows that. He has an eye on his watch, his fingers drumming nervously on the bar and he keeps looking at the entrance, just wanting Daniel to finally, finally show up. 

“You could also - and I know this is a wild concept but hear me out - you could also move around.” Charles raises his eyebrows, staring at him and Max grits his teeth. “He will come through that door, I’ll ask him if he has a minute, we’ll go outside and talk and that’s it.”

“Aren’t you a romantic”, Charles deadpans and Max hates him so much. “I didn’t ask.”

“I’ll tell you anyway, it won’t work. Daniel’s a romantic.”

“How would _you_ know what?!”

“Mate, the whole paddock knows.” Charles snorts. “ _You_ should know that.” 

My god, he’s so annoying. 

“Are you helpful as well or are you just standing there and making unnecessary comments?!”, Max hisses and Charles grins. “Both? You have to admit I look good standing here.”

He’s still wearing ripped jeans and his Burberry hoodie and Max scoffs, nervously fidgeting with his cuffs, deciding to ignore Charles. 

It’s 10.30 pm, there’s still no sign of Daniel and Max slowly feels the dread settle in his stomach. He can’t fuck this up. 

He’s Max Verstappen, he can’t- won’t- what if Lewis lied to him. What if Daniel isn’t even showing up- 

He spots Lando laughing with Alex, Lance and fucking Esteban and Max takes a deep breath, trying to ignore the sting in his stomach. He doesn’t know if his friend even knows he’s here but it’s not important. 

He _finally_ spots Daniel at the buffet, eating some oysters while laughing with Michael and Max pushes himself off the bar, bracing himself. He can do this. 

“Finally”, Charles mutters, throwing him a pointed look and Max rolls his eyes. “Shut up.”

He makes his way through the room, a few people nodding at him but it’s the only acknowledgement he gets and he stops next to Daniel and Michael, feeling a bit awkward all of a sudden. 

“Hi”, he starts, smiling when he sees Daniel’s face immediately light up when he sees him. “Max, hey! Didn’t know you’d be here tonight!”

Daniel pulls him into a quick hug and Max lets him - he’s not one for physical touches normally but Daniel gives good hugs and it feels nice. 

“Yeah, it was ... spontaneous”, he says slowly and he nods at Michael. They’ve spoken a few times but Max doesn’t really know him and Michael flashes him a small smile before turning to Daniel. 

“I’ll see if I can find Jon or one of the others, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah, cheers, mate.” Daniel smiles and Michael disappears in the crowd, a drink in his hand. Daniel turns back to Max, still eating oysters and Max clears his throat. 

“Do you- do you have a minute?”, he starts, his palms getting a bit sweaty and he wipes them dry on his pants while Daniel nods, putting the plate with the oysters down. “Yeah, sure.”

He follows him outside on the balcony and Max takes a deep breath, shivering when the cold air hits him. Charles is next to him and whistles quietly, his eyes travelling over Daniel’s body.

“Damn, he looks good in that suit.”

“Shut up”, Max hisses and Daniel turns around, a frown on his face. “I didn’t say anything?”

“No, I- I didn’t-“ Max stumbles over his words, tempted to just glare at Charles who jumped on the balustrade, a grin on his face, his legs dangling down. Bastard. 

“Forget it”, Max mumbles, blushing a little and feeling ridiculous. It’s just Daniel. His friend. His old teammate. The nicest and most patient person he has ever met. 

No need to be nervous. 

“Are you okay?” Daniel smiles, leaning next to Charles on the balustrade and Max blinks, staring at them. It’s still so surreal, Daniel has no idea that Charles is here and-

Charles clears his throat, giving him a pointed look and Max quickly nods, fidgeting with his cuffs again. Daniel is probably the only person who actually really cares if he is okay or not. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Are you?”

He’s stalling but he still has half an hour so he’s okay. He doesn’t need half an hour to confess his love. 

“I-“ Daniel frowns, the smile disappearing from his face and he pales a little, his hand clutching his stomach. “Fuck.”

“Are you okay???” Max stares at him, a panicked look in his eyes and Daniel shakes his head, his left hand gripping the balustrade. 

“I feel really sick”, he confesses and before Max even realises it Daniel bends over the balcony, emptying his stomach down on quiet the street below them. 

Max stares at him a bit helpless, Charles groaning and Max has absolutely no idea what to do. 

This is bad, he realises, when Daniel pushes past him with a weak “sorry”, making a run for the bathrooms and Max stares after him speechless. 

One glance at his watch tells him that it’s 11.45 pm and he feels the panic hit him full force. 

“Guess the oysters weren’t good then”, Charles comments dryly and Max stares at him. “Oh _really_?!”

He shakes his head exasperated before he goes back inside as well, heading for the bathrooms. Okay, this isn’t romantic and he normally would never- 

But he has no time left and maybe-

But when he enters the toilets, pushing past a concerned-looking Esteban Ocon and Michael Italiano (why is Esteban here?!) Daniel is still busy puking his guts out.

Charles followed him, a disgusted look on his face at the smell that’s in the bathroom but Max doesn’t care, squatting down next to Daniel. 

“Daniel, I need to tell you something”, he starts but Daniel just weakly shakes his head, his hands gripping the toilet. “Not now, Maxy.”

He vomits again and Max bites his lips so hard he can taste blood. He feels Esteban’s and Michael’s eyes on his back but he _only has two minutes left_. 

Charles doesn’t look impressed at all and Max grits his teeth. “Yes, Dan, it’s important, I-“

“Max”, Dan interrupts him weakly, lifting his head a little and he’s incredibly pale. “I know compassion isn’t your strongest suit but please, give me half an hour.”

He gives him a pleading look and Max normally would have agreed. He’s not a complete asshole, he knows Dan really has other problems right now but-

“30 seconds”, Charles tells him quietly and Max’s eyes snap up, panic spreading through him. “What?! No, Charles, I can’t-“

“Charles??”, Esteban interrupts him confused. “He isn’t here.”

“How much did you drink, Max?”, Michael asks concerned but Max shakes his head, still glaring at an empty spot next to the bathroom door - well, empty for Michael, Esteban and Daniel. 

Charles is pushing himself off the wall now, coming closer and Max grits his teeth. “Don’t you dare, I need more time, _please_ -“

Charles takes his hand, pulling him up and the next second everything turns dark around him.

~

When he regains his consciousness Max wants to yell at Charles (and maybe strangle him) but when he opens his eyes they’re not back in the small palace. 

They’re back in front of his apartment building, it’s still bright outside and Max slowly turns to Charles who has a shit-eating grin on his face. 

“What is happening?”, Max asks quietly, a dangerous undertone to his voice. “Why am I back here, what-“

“Let’s go inside, shall we?” Charles smirks, pulling him along and Max follows him instinctively, blinking when he spots the exact same woman who gave him odd looks yesterday after- after he was talking to Charles on the streets. 

Apparently, she’s taking this route every day-

Charles lets him into the apartment and Max turns around, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “What’s happening?? Is it over, it wasn’t my fault-“

There’s a knock on the door and Max looks at Charles who just grins. Bad sign. 

But Max also knows arguing is pointless so he opens the door and freezes when he sees Hulk standing there with a huge grin on his face. Wearing the same clothes as yesterday. 

“Mate, can I come in?”, he asks and Max blinks, having a huge deja-vu. What the hell-

He steps aside, Hulk walking straight into his kitchen and again putting his scarf down on the kitchen counter. 

Just like yesterday. 

“I actually just came by to ask if you are going to that gala tonight”, Hulk starts, again running a hand through his hair. “Most of the drivers will be there and I heard there is free alcohol.”

Max stares at him, completely speechless. 

No. How- 

Charles is still grinning to his left and Max takes a deep breath, trying not to freak out. He needs to sort this with Hulk before he can yell at Charles and he tries his best to remember what he said to Hulk yesterday. 

“I- yeah but I don’t think I’m invited”, he says slowly but Hulk just waves dismissively. 

“No worries, mate, I’ll sort that for you. It starts at 8 pm, I’ll text you the address.” 

He says the exact same thing like yesterday before he leaves and Max stares after him for a second before he turns to Charles, a murderous look in his eyes. “Leclerc, what the actual _fuck_ is happening here?!”

“Well”, Charles starts, still grinning while sinking on Max’s sofa, crossing his legs. “We knew you’d fuck up so you are stuck in a time loop.” 

Max is _this_ close to throwing his glass at Charles. 

“Means?”, he asks through gritted teeth and Charles smirks. “Means you’ll repeat the same day all over again.”

“And if I fuck up again?”

“Then you’ll repeat the day again.”

“But-“

“Until you get it right.” Charles shrugs and Max stares at him speechless. “You are fucking kidding me!”

No. No, this can’t be true- on the other hand he gets another chance. But-

“Unfortunately not.” Charles pulls a face and plays with the phone in his hand. “Believe me, I don’t wanna be stuck with you either.”

Lovely. Simply, simply lovely. Max is really tempted to just scream. 

“So what, we really have the exact same day again?” He sounds defeated, his voice flat and Charles shrugs. “I mean, theoretically yes but you can always change your actions.”

“And it’s only over when I- like when I sort my shit with Daniel out?”, he makes sure but Charles just nods, sighing deeply. “Yeah. Unfortunately. I really don’t know what I did to deserve this.”

Max flips him off and they’re both quiet for a second, Max staring out of his window. He has a chance and- look. 

It’s not his fault the oysters were bad. He’ll just make sure Dan doesn’t eat any and it will be fine. Easy. 

He can take him aside, they can talk and it’s all good. 

Max gets up, heading to his bedroom to get dressed, ignoring Charles who’s lingering in the doorframe, watching him and making sure he puts on the right suit. 

The upside of this mess is that he finally has time to fix things with Daniel. The downside is that he’s stuck with Charles for an undefined amount of time. 

But so far they haven’t killed each other yet and- 

“Nope, not the hideous bow tie”, Charles says, taking it and throwing it out of the window and Max stares at him speechless. “Are you insane?? You can’t just throw it out like that-“

Charles ignores him, handing him the dark blazer and Max glares at him before he heads back to his sim to play some iRacing before they leave for the gala.

He really doesn’t want to have Charles around. 

The hall in which the gala is held looks exactly the same and Max makes his way past two tall Christmas trees. He has seen Daniel at the buffet the last time while it was later in the night - it gives him time to take care of the oysters. 

He quickly looks around but no one is paying him any attention and Max takes the plate with oysters, ignoring Charles’ frown. He spots Esteban in the corner at a table, together with Lance and he remembers that interview Lance did a few weeks ago in which he said how much he loves oysters and seafood in general. An idea forms in Max’s head and he makes his way over, trying to ignore the strange looks he’s getting for carrying a plate of oysters around.

This is for a good cause and Lance and Esteban look up confused when Max drops the plate in front of them on the table. 

“Heard they’re really good and that you like them a lot”, he says and while Esteban just stares at him with raised eyebrows, Lance gives him a small smile. “Thank you, Max. Doubt I can eat that many though-“

“Just leave them there”, Max interrupts him, forcing himself to smile as well. “I’m sure they’ll bring a new plate to the buffet.”

Hopefully not but Max can’t gamble on that right now and Charles snorts next to him. 

“You’re such a dick, Verstappen.”

Max bites back a comment and just nods at Lance and Esteban again before he turns around, disappearing in the crowd again. 

Fuck Charles, what does he care what he thinks. 

Checking the time shows him that it’s 9.30 pm, he still has two and a half hours and he breathes out in relief when he spots Daniel at the bar, talking with Michael and Hulk. 

Good. Now he just needs to-

“Max, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight!” Lando shows up in front of him, an excited look in his eyes and he pulls Max into a quick hug. “So nice to see you!”

Max stares at him, groaning internally. He likes Lando but he’s also a bit in a hurry and-

“I need your help!”, Lando whispers, his voice taking on an urgent undertone. “So you know I’m in love with Alex, right, and also with George somehow and-“

Max didn’t know (or did he?? Did Lando tell him??) but if he’s honest he also doesn’t really care. 

All he cares about right now is that his time is slowly running out while Lando keeps rambling on. 

“And anyway, we wanted to spend Christmas together - and I’m so excited for Christmas, mate, I haven’t seen my family for so long and I miss them so much!”, Lando’s eyes are shining, he looks giddy and runs a hand through his hair. “And anyway, I don’t know what to do because Alex is here tonight but George isn’t and it would be a bit shitty to make a move on Alex without George, right?? But I also don’t know why George isn’t here and I need your help because George-“

No. No, he really doesn’t have time for this now.

Max clears his throat, his eyes darting over Lando’s shoulder and he groans when he notices that Daniel disappeared again. 

“I really don’t have time for that shit right now, mate”, he interrupts Lando, only noticing how rude he sounded when he sees the hurt expression in Lando’s eyes. 

“But-“

“I have other things to do, Lando”, Max says annoyedly before he pushes past him, leaving his friend in the crowd. What does he care about what Lando does on Christmas and who he’s in love with?

“Again: you’re a dick, Verstappen”, Charles comments, an incredulous look on his face and Max snorts. “I didn’t come here to help Lando, I came here to sort my own love life out.”

“Yeah, but there’s no need to be so rude”, Charles says dryly. “You still have an hour, you know? That thing with Lando could’ve been solved in five minutes-“

“But I just don’t _care_ , okay?!”, Max interrupts him sharply and he winces when he sees the odd looks he’s getting. He reaches for Charles’ arm, dragging him into a quiet corner and glares at him. “Stop trying to be some kind of moral consciousness, Leclerc - it’s not working.”

“I’m just-“, Charles starts but Max glares at him and Charles snorts, shaking his head. “Suit yourself, dickhead. Fuck it up again.” 

They glare at each other for a moment (to outsiders it must look like Max is murdering the air with his eyes) before Max looks away, trying to ignore the guilty feeling in his chest. 

He likes Lando, he really does. And, again, he has never had many friends in racing and it’s mostly Max’s own fault. 

He promises himself to talk to Lando after this is sorted, he’s sure his friend will understand (now that he thinks about it Lando could even be counted as his best friend) and Max takes a deep breath. 

He just needs to talk to Daniel and it’ll be fine. 

It’s just that he spends the next hour searching for that Australian dumbass again and Charles follows him like a shadow, sometimes stealing food from the buffet and grinning when people stare at the disappearing food with wide eyes. 

Max ignores him, it’s not his problem if Charles gets into trouble with Seb, Lewis, God or whoever is responsible for this mess and he starts getting restless again. He definitely won’t relive this day a third time and he breathes out in relief when he finds Daniel close to the bathrooms. 

“Max!”, Daniel calls out, a relieved look washing over his face before Max can even say something. “Do you know why Lando is crying in the bathroom for over an hour now?”

 _What_? 

Max stares at his former teammate and he pushes down the guilt that’s rising in him. This is not his fault. Alright, maybe it is. A bit. But he can fix this again. He can. 

He just needs to fix things with Daniel first and he ignores Charles who wanders off into the bathroom with a worried look, neglecting his babysitting duties for a second.

Idiot. 

Not that Max cares what Charles does. 

“No, but-“

“He seems really sad and I tried getting him out but he doesn’t want to”, Dan goes on, worry evident in his eyes and Max tries to not roll his eyes. It’s sweet Daniel cares about his future teammate and Max loves that caring side of Daniel very much but right now he really has not the time for it. 

“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll be fine”, Max brushes him off and Daniel frowns. “Max, it’s about Lando-“

And that’s normally enough to kick Max into action. He is a bit protective over Lando and he really likes him. He does. 

They spend quite some time together during race weekends or stream together and he’s fun. And a good friend. 

And Max is ready to defend Lando (and Daniel for the matter) from every journalist or driver who talks shit about them. 

But Max knows the reason why Lando is upset and while he still feels a bit guilty he really has no nerve for this right now. He doesn’t care about Lando’s crush, he doesn’t care about Christmas and family - all he cares about right now is Daniel and he flinches a bit when Charles comes back, glaring at him.

“He’s a mess, well done, Verstappen”, he hisses and Max swallows dryly, deciding to ignore him even though his throat tightens a little. 

“You know him, he’s a bit overdramatic sometimes.” Max waves dismissively and he knows he’s acting like a dick right now but _he is a bit on a time limit here_. 

One look at his watch shows him that again he only has ten minutes left and he grits his teeth. 

He can tell Daniel that he’s in love with him in under one minute. Kissing might take longer but that wasn’t part of their agreement, right? 

So he’s gonna tell Daniel and then they might kiss and then- well, maybe Charles takes him back? But if he stays he can walk into that bathroom and tell Lando he’s sorry and maybe fix Lando’s problem with Alex and George- 

“And he seemed very upset”, Daniel repeats slowly, his brows furrowed before he shakes his head. “Anyway, I’ll-“

Lance storms past them, he is pale as the wall and Max knows exactly why. Esteban is only two steps behind and while he doesn’t look like he’s close to vomiting he looks worried.

Max bites his lips, trying to push the guilt down and Daniel sighs. “Alright, I’ll go and check on them.” 

He turns around, heading to the bathroom and Max stares after him speechless. 

No-

“You’re trying too hard”, Charles comments dryly and Max wants to bitch at him but then Charles takes his arm and the world turns black around him.

~

When he realises he’s back in front of his apartment Max lets out a frustrated scream, ignoring the strange looks he’s getting. “For fuck’s sake, I still had time, Leclerc!” 

“Yeah, but you failed”, Charles comments, an annoyed expression in his eyes. “You fucked it up again because you’re an insensitive dick.” 

Max scowls, turning on his heels and marching into the apartment building, not waiting if Charles is following him. 

He needs a new plan because he’s starting to get really pissed off.

Patience has never been his strong suit and _why is it so hard so just tell Daniel how he feels_?! 

“I’m not an insensitive dick just because I have no time for people complaining all the time!”, Max hisses after Charles let him in his apartment, kicking the door closed behind him. “Sorry, but what do I care if Lando misses his family?!”

“He’s your _friend_ , probably the only one you still have-“, Charles starts heated but stops when there’s a knock on the door and Max throws him a nasty look before letting Hulk in. 

He gets over with it quickly and after Hulk leaves again Max turns to Charles, glaring at him. “I have friends, alright?? I have Lando and Daniel, and Carlos and I get along as well.”

“Oh, suddenly?”, Charles hisses and Max snorts. “I also have friends outside of Formula One. I don’t need to befriend every driver and I definitely don’t have to prove that to you of all people!”

“Still gives you no excuse to be a dick for no reason!” Charles stares at him incredulously, running a hand through his hair. “We were travelling a lot this year, of course he misses his family-“

“Well he knew beforehand he wouldn’t see them much”, Max comments coldly, “if he can’t cope with that maybe he should’ve taken a different job then.”

He went too far, he knows it the second Charles stares at him speechless and Max swallows dryly. He has the tendency to be incredibly rude sometimes, saying things he doesn’t even mean that way and he knows where that influence comes from. 

He ignores all that and Charles shakes his head, a defeated expression in his eyes. “It costs you absolutely nothing to be a decent person, Max.”

“I don’t think I need moral lessons from you, Leclerc”, Max fires back and Charles snorts. “All I’m saying is that you have to care more!”

“I don’t have to do anything!” Max shakes his head annoyed, turning around and heading into his bedroom. He starts to regret agreeing to this - he could’ve worked this out on his own as well.

Alright, it might have taken him a bit longer to make a move but this is getting _annoying_ and Charles and he don’t speak until they arrive at the gala, the mood icy between them. 

Max marches to the buffet, drops the oysters in front of Lance and Esteban again - really, they’re his smallest problem right now and if one of them gets sick, well. 

He has other priorities. Charles watches him with narrowed eyes and when he runs into Lando again, Max tries his best to be nice. 

“Max, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight!” Lando beams at him, hugging him quickly and Max clears his throat, nodding. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Just kiss Alex and tell him you also have a thing for George, yeah?”

“What-“

“Just kiss Alex, I’m sure he’ll like that.” Max pats Lando’s shoulder while his eyes scan the room and Lando nods slowly, looking hesitant. “Okay. Are you going home over Christmas?”

“No.”

“Why not? Don’t you miss your Mum and I saw Victoria got her baby, I mean I would miss my family, I’m so excited to see them again-“

“Great for you”, Max answers, his voice dripping with sarcasm and Lando stares at him a bit hurt. “Max-“

Max doesn’t spot Daniel but he sees Michael who is kind of the next best thing and he nods before he just leaves Lando standing there. 

“You’ve done it again, amazing”, Charles comments, he looks annoyed but Max just snorts. “Shut up. I told him what to do, what else do you want from me? Stand next to him while he kisses Alex??? No thanks.”

Charles grumbles something but Max ignores him, stopping in front of Michael and giving him a small smile. “Hey, have you seen Daniel?”

“Yeah, he’s on the balcony-“, Michael starts but Max is already on his way again, only calling a “Thanks!” back before he makes his way through the crowd. 

He doesn’t even have to go all the way, he meets Daniel somewhere halfway through the room and - Max groans internally - Dan looks concerned. Again. 

“Lando looked a bit upset, have you seen him?”, Daniel starts and Max holds back a sigh. “Yeah, I’ve spoken to him. He’s okay, just a bit nervous because he has a crush on Alex.”

He doesn’t even know how much time he has left but he figures it’s fine and Daniel’s eyes widen. “He does???”

Not the time for grid gossip. Really not. 

“And on George”, Max confirms anyway and Daniel whistled lowly, a grin spreading over his face. “Nice. I-“

He frowns when Lance storms past him, pale as the wall, Esteban directly behind him and Max quickly grabs Dan’s arm, pulling him towards the balcony. 

“They probably had a bit too much to drink”, he jokes weakly, ignoring the guilt inside of him and a small smile appears on Daniel’s face. “Probably.” 

Good. This is good.

Max breathes out when they step outside and he wants to say something when his phone rings and Max closes his eyes, suppressing a groan. He forgot to put it on silent for the first time since this whole mess started and he decides to ignore it.

Whoever it is can wait.

Daniel seems to see that different though. 

He is looking at him, raising one eyebrow, frowning. “Don’t you want to take it?”

“I’m sure it’s not important.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I-“

“Just make sure”, Daniel interrupts him amused and Max sighs before pulling his phone out, ready to block the call. 

“It’s my Mum”, he says with a sigh but before he can say something else Daniel stares at him. “Max, just answer it!”

“I-“

“I can wait”, Daniel adds, squeezing his arm reassuringly and Charles is still glaring at Max so Max sighs, answering the call. “Yeah?”

“Max.” His Mum sounds genuinely surprised he answered the phone and Max swallows dryly. He might have avoided her a little, not wanting to deal with the whole ‘Max doesn’t come home for Christmas’ discussion. 

“Hi Mama”, he says, biting his lips. “What do you want?” 

He switches to Dutch so Charles doesn’t understand him (he’s not so sure about Daniel - Max taught him quite a bit and so did Hulk) and he leans against the wall, taking a deep breath. 

He knows he’s on a time limit and- 

“I wanted to know if you really don’t want to come home over Christmas.” His Mum’s voice is soft, gentle. “If you changed your mind, maybe. I know Vic would be over the moon to see you and-“

“I can’t, Mama”, Max interrupts her, clearing his throat. “You know that. I’m staying in Monaco, training.”

“But you will be all on your own-“ 

“I’m not alone, Brad comes after the holidays”, Max argues, fidgeting with his cuffs. “And I’ll be fine.”

“But Max, don’t you think-“

“I said no, is that so hard to understand?!”, Max snaps, shaking his head and shifting his weight, ignoring Charles’ confused look. “I don’t have time for this whole ‘Happy Family’ bullshit and I really don’t wanna be at home.”

It’s dead silent at the other end of the line for a second and Max swallows dryly. He loves his Mum, a lot but- 

“I’d love to have you home, Maxy”, Sophie then says, her voice a bit rough and _shit is she crying?_ “It’s Christmas and- we miss you.”

Max misses them too. He does, he really does and he feels absolutely horrible for making his Mama cry but his time is running out and Christmas stresses him and he wants to become World Champion next year and his brain just shuts off completely. 

“I’m sorry but I won’t come home”, he says before ending the call and he wants to check how much time he has left until midnight but when he looks up, Daniel stares at him speechless. 

“You’re not going home over Christmas??”, he asks, disbelief in his voice and Max sighs, massaging his temples. “No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to see them, I’m staying here in Monaco, training. Brad joins me after Christmas-“

“Max, it’s the winter break, it’s Christmas, time for family and your family misses you-“

“I don’t care”, Max interrupts him sharply, really losing his patience now and he ignores Charles face palming in the background. “I really don’t.”

Daniel stares at him speechless and Max wants to say something (how much time does he have left??) when Daniel slowly shakes his head and something in his eyes changes. 

“She’s your _mother_ , Max, stop acting like a- like-“

“An egoistic asshole?”, Charles suggests and Max wants to say something when Daniel finishes his sentence, obviously not noticing Charles. 

“A selfish cunt”, he says quietly, disappointment in his eyes. “I really thought you- I don’t know, forget it.”

“What?”, Max demands, a cold feeling spreading through him, his heartbeat picking up with fear. “What did you think??”

“I thought you have changed.” Daniel crosses his arms in front of his chest, shaking his head. “Especially with us becoming friends and you and Lando getting closer. Apparently, I was wrong.”

Max stares at him, his heart beating fast in his chest. “Daniel-“

_‘I’m not a bad person.’_

He leaves it unsaid though, panicking slightly and Daniel sighs, looking tired all of a sudden. 

“Everyone always said you’re arrogant and a dick and don’t care about others and I’ve always defended you because I thought I knew you were a good person who just went through a lot of shit. I always thought you care about others but- looks like I was wrong.” Daniel looks defeated and Max hates it so much. Hates the look in Dan’s eyes, the coldness spreading through his chest and how his throat tightens. 

“Daniel, no, I-“

Daniel just shakes his head and turns around, disappearing back inside in the crowd and leaving him behind and all Max wants to cry. 

Charles sighs, taking a step forward. “I told you.”

“Fuck you”, Max hisses, tears burning in his eyes and he turns away from him, not wanting to see the smug look on Charles’ face. 

What a fucking shit show, what a disaster, what-

Charles touches his arms and the familiar darkness surrounds him before he blacks out completely.

~

He fucks up two more times, Daniel’s disappointed look, the hurt in Lando’s eyes and the sadness in his Mum’s voice deep ingrained in his brain and when Daniel rejects him again with one hour to midnight to spare Max is really close to crying. 

He avoids Charles’ touch to bring him back to the start and instead wanders out on the empty balcony, staring at the harbour below them, tears collecting in his eyes. He takes a deep breath, the cold night air filling his lungs and he puts his head back, staring in the dark night sky, a numb feeling in his chest. 

He keeps fucking up, keeps hurting the people who mean the world to him and it’s just- it’s all getting too much. 

He has done it before of course, hurting his friends and family with his behaviour but- having it on repeat every night all of a sudden hurts. Having it so clearly in front of him. Seeing the actual consequences of his actions. 

He doesn’t want this. He really doesn’t. 

“Am I really such a horrible person, Charles?”, he asks with a hoarse voice when he feels Charles’ presence behind him, stepping next to him and Charles hesitates.

“I don’t think you’re horrible”, he starts slowly and Max snorts - it sounds more than pathetic. “Thanks, that helps.”

“You’re rude and a dick sometimes and really aggressive on track and you sometimes say things you shouldn’t say and you’re quite arrogant-“

“Is there a ‘but’ coming?”, Max asks him dryly and Charles grins. “ _But_ I know from Lando and Daniel and Carlos that you’re a really good guy. Sometimes. And I’ve seen you around kids, seen you around the people you really care about. You’re not _horrible_.”

“Thanks”, Max mutters, running a hand through his hair. “You’re also quite arrogant, you know.”

“You asked!”, Charles exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. “I was just stating facts!”

“Great”, Max mumbles, rubbing his eyes and ignores the tears that are still collecting in them. He feels defeated and he has no idea how to actually ‘win’ in this deal he struck with Lewis. 

“Why did you never have many friends?”, Charles asks and Max turns his head to stare at him, a bit shocked by his bluntness. “How- I had friends!”

“You didn’t”, Charles says dryly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Max, I know you since we’ve been karting together as kids. You didn’t. You were never really close with the others, you never stayed at any sleepovers or went for the team dinners.”

“Because I didn’t need them, okay?”, Max says defensively, trying to ignore that lost feeling creeping up his spine. “I was there to race and not to make friends.”

“That sounds like something your Dad would say.” Charles crinkles his nose in disgust and Max glares at him. “And?? He is the reason where I am today, I owe him everything.”

“The reason you are where you are today is because of yourself, Max!” Charles shakes his head incredulously, staring at him in disbelief. “It’s because of all the hard work _you_ put in! You earned everything yourself and not because of your Dad!”

Max stares at him and he wants to argue but before he can Charles already continues talking. 

“And I think your Dad is a dick who still tries to control and influence you”, he adds and Max growls. “And?? He’s my Dad!”

“And he’s not good for you!” They’re both yelling at each other by now and Max prays no one is coming outside to catch him arguing with an invisible Charles Leclerc. 

“How would you know?”, Max hisses but the tears are still running down his face and he wipes them away, annoyed. “He was always there for me and you don’t know how it is to always be alone every single race while all the others seem to get along oh so well! You-“

His voice breaks and he shakes his head annoyed and Charles takes a deep breath. “Max-“

“You don’t know _shit_ about me, my Dad or my life.” Max glares at him but it’s not very effective given that he’s still crying and he hates it. Hates it that he has to have a mental breakdown exactly _now_ in front of no other than Charles Leclerc. 

He hasn’t cried in public since his karting days. 

“I don’t think you’re a bad person, Max”, Charles says quietly, looking a bit unsure. “I just-“

“I care about Lando, I care about Daniel and I miss my Mum so much you have no idea”, Max interrupts him, his voice breaking. “I want to meet my nephew and I’m so happy Lando gets to see his family again and is in love and I- I don’t want Lance to vomit because of the oysters or Esteban to dislike me I just-“

“Got carried away?”, Charles supplies and Max nods, taking a deep breath.

He can’t believe his life has come to him crying on the balcony of some gala in Monaco with no other than an invisible Charles Leclerc around to listen. 

“I want- I want what Lando has.” His voice is barely more than a whisper and he closes his eyes resigned. There’s no way back he might as well confess everything right now.

He can still kill Charles after this should he ever say something to anyone. 

“I want people to like me and I want to have friends but I have no idea _how_!”

“Maybe start with being nice to people?”, Charles suggests dryly and Max kicks him against his shin. “Shut up.”

Charles just grins and then, before Max even realises it, Charles wraps his arms around him and hugs him. 

Max freezes, staring at him with wide eyes. This actually- it doesn’t feel _that_ bad, it’s actually quite nice- 

Charles clears his throat awkwardly before he takes a step back, grinning sheepishly. 

“Anyway. What stops you from just trying to make friends? Be nice to everyone?”, he asks and Max swallows dryly, gripping the balustrade to hide his shaking hands. “I-“

Anger issues. Traumatic childhood. The oh so familiar voice in his head. 

Being rude is easier than to be open and vulnerable and talk about your feelings. 

This is gonna sound so ridiculous and he can’t believe he’s discussing all his childhood traumas with Charles Leclerc right now. 

“I always- listen I just- I came to win the championship and not make friends-“

“You always hear his voice in your head”, Charles finishes his sentence and Max nods, relieved that Charles seems to get what he’s hinting at without having to say it. “Yes.”

“Well, fuck him, he’s not here and of course you’re allowed to make friends!” Charles snorts. “You’ll still be one of the best drivers on the grid - and I can’t believe I just said that.”

He rolls his eyes and a small grin appears on Max’s face. “So you think I’m the best driver on the grid?”

“I didn’t say that, shut up.” Charles glares at him and Max actually has to laugh. 

“So why don’t you try it?”, Charles suggests, leaning against the balustrade and looking so effortlessly like a model that Max is actually a bit jealous. 

“What?”

“Being nice, making friends.” Charles gives him a small smile and Max bites his lips. “Because they all hate me and my Dad-“

It’s not that his Dad ever explicitly forbade him to make friends. But Max knows that he definitely wasn’t pleased when he got to know how well he got along with Daniel - it’s why he kept a professional distance to Pierre and Alex after. 

And maybe because it hurt like hell when Daniel left and Max didn’t want to experience that pain again. 

He’s not very good at dealing with his feelings. 

“It’s not that easy”, he says, hesitating. “I- I love my Dad, I- I know some of the things he did were wrong but-“

“Mate, I didn’t say you have to cut him out of your life - even though that would be the better option.” Charles frowns but before Max can say something Charles keeps talking. “But I know it’s not that easy. And no one hates you, I promise. So why don’t you start small?”

He has a point and Max takes a deep breath. 

They’re both quiet for a moment, Max staring at the moonlight reflecting on the water. There are Christmas songs coming from inside, it sounds dull but Max doesn’t focus on it, too deep in his own thoughts. 

He knows Charles is right. And that’s annoying and he normally would never admit that and he normally would never talk so openly about his feelings but he’s so _tired_ and _worn out_ from everything that has happened in the last few days (day- technically it’s only been one day) and he just- he just wants some friends. 

Wants people to care. 

Wants Daniel. 

He wants to be a better person, for Daniel but also for himself and he takes a deep breath, collecting all of his courage and swallowing down his pride before he turns to Charles, an insecure look in his eyes. 

“Can you help me?”

Charles smiles and nods, reaching for his arm and Max closes his eyes when the familiar darkness is back.

~

He’s pretty sure this is the first time they’re not arguing when he’s standing in front of his apartment building again and Max takes a deep breath, the bright sunlight blinding him a little. 

He feels calmer like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders since his talk with Charles and he turns to him a bit hesitant. “So... let’s do this?”

“After you.” Charles grins and Max ignores him, stepping back into his apartment building. Charles opens the door for him from the inside (Max doubts it will ever _not_ be weird seeing Charles just glide through the door) and Max takes a deep breath.

Okay. He needs a plan, a strategy to make this work and he waits for Hulk to arrive, ignoring Charles’ smirk. 

Just because they talk doesn’t mean he likes him. He merely tolerates him and yes, maybe Charles isn’t as bad as he thought but- 

There’s a knock on the door and Max takes another deep breath before he opens, letting Hulk in his flat.

He gets the invite, says goodbye to Hulk again but instead of arguing with Charles or hiding in his sim he falls down at the kitchen table, taking a deep breath. 

“Any ideas?”, he starts and Charles’ eyes light up at the prospect of being included in the planning. 

“Get rid of the oysters, preferably beforehand”, he suggests and Max nods, googling the contact details of the venue before making the call, telling them about an oyster allergy some of the guests have. 

The woman on the phone promises to take care of it and when Max looks up again, Charles has started to decorate his flat so it looks a bit more like Christmas. 

“Why?”, Max asks dryly and Charles shrugs, attaching another garland at the window (Max didn’t even know he owned something like that) before dragging a small Christmas tree into the room. “It’s Christmas soon.”

“I-“ Max wants to tell him he still doesn’t like Christmas but then Charles switches on the fairy lights he draped over Max’s screens and there is a faint scent of waffles and gingerbread in his room. 

Something in him stirs, a wave of childhood memories hit him and he suddenly remembers his Mum, Victoria and he walking over the Christmas market in his hometown. 

He feels his throat tighten a little and he clears his throat, shrugging half-heartedly before heading to his bedroom to get dressed. 

They still have a bit of time before they have to leave for the gala and after Max went through all possibilities (and most importantly, reminding himself to not put Daniel as his first priority, as much as he wants to, and rather takes it however it comes) he lingers in front of his sofa, throwing Charles a cautious look. 

“You wanna play some Call of Duty?” He needs to distract himself and look, Charles is _alright_ and he seemed fun when he was playing with Lando and the others and he promised himself to be nicer. 

And try to make friends. 

And while Charles wouldn’t be his first choice - they’re stuck together. 

He can’t really be picky right now. 

“Sure!” Charles’ eyes light up and he falls on the sofa, taking the controller Max hands him and Max holds back a smile at his excitement. 

Not friends. Colleagues. But also not enemies. 

They play a few rounds, managing not to kill each other and around 8 pm they make their way to the venue, Max taking a deep breath when they enter the now oh so familiar hall. Max is pretty sure he knows the whole layout by now. 

He has to smile when he sees the tall Christmas trees and he gets himself some mulled wine at the bar, taking a deep breath.

He didn’t pay much attention to the details of the gala before, too narrow-minded, too focused on Daniel and when he properly looks around for the first time he has to admit it’s actually really nice. 

Everyone seems so happy, so content, Christmas songs playing in the background, little presents are being handed out by two Santa Clauses and Max smiles when he sees that there aren’t any oysters at the buffet. 

There is some fish though and Max frowns when he sees Lance and Esteban come closer, inspecting the fish. He knows they like seafood and he doesn’t trust the catering company with fish. 

Without even thinking about it he quickly makes his way over, squeezing himself between Lance and the buffet and he smiles, trying to swallow the insecurities that come back to the surface. 

“I- I wouldn’t eat the fish”, he starts, biting his lip and while Esteban just stares at him with raised eyebrows Lance frowns. “Why not?”

“Heard the fish is bad”, Max explains, “already saw a few people head for the bathroom because- you know.”

He’s 90% sure they won’t believe him and Esteban looks really sceptical but then Lance shrugs, a smile spreading over his face. “Alright, we’ll stay away from the fish then. Thanks for the warning, Max.” 

His smile is- it looks so _genuine_ , it feels nice and Max internally shakes his head at himself. He’s not that desperate and Lance and he have never been close but then Lance pats his arm and continues talking. 

“Hope you have a nice evening, mate.” He drags Esteban along, heading back into the crowd and Max stares after him, a bit speechless.

He’s pretty sure that was the nicest and most genuine conversation he has ever had with Lance. 

And yes, he knows how sad that sounds given that Lance and he have known each other for quite some time now. 

“Wasn’t that hard, was it?”, Charles comments, stepping next to him and Max rolls his eyes. “You’re still here?”

“The food is good.” Charles shrugs, stealing some more Christmas cookies and Max glares at him when an elderly lady gasps loudly, staring at the buffet.

“Behave!”, Max hisses, ignoring the odd looks he’s getting and Charles grins, waving at the woman who looks right through him before turning to the man next to her and telling him something in French. 

“Unbelievable”, Max mumbles but he can’t hold back a grin and he makes his way through the crowd, trying to stay calm. He greets a few drivers, tries his best to ignore the time pressure (and even if he fucks up - then he’ll simply repeat the evening again) and he laughs at something Hulk just told him when Lando finds him.

“Max, I didn’t know you’d be here tonight!” Lando hugs him excitedly and a genuine smile spreads over Max’s face when he hugs his best friend, careful to not spill his champagne. 

“Hey.” He ignores the warm feeling in his chest, Lando really is excited to see him here and- it does mean a lot to Max. Especially after he acted like an asshole to Lando the past couple of nights. 

Hulk has left them and Max clears his throat. “How are you doing, are you excited for Christmas?”

“Definitely, I’m really happy to see my family again.” Lando’s eyes shine brightly and he hesitates for a second. “I need your help do you- do you have a second?”

He looks a bit unsure and Max nods quickly. “Yeah, definitely. What’s up, mate?” 

Lando quickly looks over his shoulder before he pulls Max a bit to the side, his expression turning nervous. 

Max knows what’s coming and he waits patiently for Lando to collect his thoughts - he has been in this situation before. Well, not exactly the same given that the different dialogue responses he gave Lando always led to different actions and outcomes, but. You know. 

“I- okay you know I have a crush on Alex, right? And on George.” Lando chews on his bottom lip and Max nods. “Yes.”

“I think they have feelings for me too.” Lando can’t hold back his smile any longer and Max smiles as well. “That’s great, mate, I'm really happy for you!”

“Yeah, but- look, I just- Alex is here tonight and I’m not sure if I should act on it? Like I don’t even know what to do and- Max I’m really scared I’ll fuck things up!” Lando gives him a desperate look and Max clears his throat. 

He spent quite some time thinking about it and after talking with Charles (which went better than he thought it would) they somehow came to a solution. 

“Do you want to do something without George being here? He’s not here tonight, right?”, he asks and Lando pulls his bottom lip in, hesitating. 

“He isn’t but he- he already kissed me”, he whispers and Max stares at him. That’s new. That's new information and while Charles “awwwws” loudly next to him Max ignores him, clearing his throat. “That- okay that’s unexpected-“

“That bastard, he didn’t tell me!”, Charles exclaims and Max really wants to yell at him to shut up because it’s really _annoying_ when Charles is talking next to him and Max has to think and Lando is talking too. 

And distracting. Very distracting. 

“It is and he said I have to work things out with Alex myself so I really don’t know what to do.” Lando stares at him helplessly and Max clears his throat, ignoring Charles’ rambling next to him. 

“You said you are sure Alex has feelings for you as well, right?”, he makes sure and Lando nods. “Yep.”

Alright, that makes things easier. 

“Alex .... Alex is a romantic”, Max says after a second, remembering his teammate talking about some romantic movie he watched during one race weekend. “Kiss him under one of the many mistletoes hanging around here, he will love that.” 

“Max that’s brilliant!”, Lando says excitedly while Charles mutters “cliché” and Max decides to ignore him, just smiling and nodding. “Just do it.”

“Can you- can you help me?” Lando bites his lips. “Like, getting him there?”

Max knows he has a time limit. Knows he hasn’t even seen Daniel once yet but- 

Priorities. This is about his best friend’s happiness. 

“Yeah, sure.” He flinches surprised when Lando hugs him again tightly, burying his face in his neck.

“You’re the best”, he mumbles and Max swallows hard, a warm feeling spreading through his chest. 

He never really realised how important Lando and his happiness are to him and he gently pushes him away, smiling. “I know. I’ll be right back, yeah?”

Lando nods, nervously running a hand through his hair and Max makes his way through the crowd, ignoring the urge to check the time and rather focuses on finding his teammate. 

He finds Alex with Billy, Oscar and Callum close to the bar and he suddenly is a bit nervous. He knows all of them, yes, but- they’ve never been friends. 

Not really, at least. 

What if-

Charles gives him a push and Max stumbles forward, nearly crashing into Alex and before he can glare at Charles and bitch at him (really, talking about subtle - that was so _unnecessary_ -) Alex turns around, a surprised look on his face. 

“Max, hey! Didn’t know you’d be here tonight.” Alex sounds a bit confused but the smile on his face is real and Max awkwardly smiles back, quickly nodding at the others before turning to Alex. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?”, he asks quietly and Alex nods, following him a bit to the side, still looking a bit confused. “Sure, you’re alright?”

Max only realises now that Alex seems to be genuinely worried about _him_ for whatever reason and he stares at him for a moment before he quickly nods, waving dismissively. “Yeah, yeah, it’s not about me. It’s about Lando.”

Alex relaxes a little but the worried look in his eyes stays and he runs a hand through his hair. “Is _he_ alright?” 

He’s so caring and Max only now slowly starts to appreciate it. God, he really regrets not having tried to befriend Alex a bit sooner - his teammate seems like a really good guy and Max really likes him. 

And Alex seems to really care about him and Lando. 

“Yeah.” Max smiles reassuringly, debating how he is supposed to get Alex under that mistletoe. 

“Tell him there’s a surprise for him”, Charles throws in and Max- this might be the first time he’s actually listening to him. 

“He has a surprise for you”, Max tells Alex and Alex raises an eyebrow, a small smile on his face. “Does he?”

“Yeah. Come on.” Max takes his arm, gently pulling him through the crowd and when he spots Lando under the mistletoe he stops.

“Go to him”, he says when he notices Alex staring and Alex blushes a little. “I-“

“It will be fine”, Max interrupts him and before he can think about it he awkwardly pats Alex on the back. “Trust me.”

“Thanks, Max.” Alex gives him a small smile before he walks over, Lando’s eyes lighting up when he sees him. Max watches them talk for a moment before he takes a deep breath and turns around, his eyes scanning the crowd.

Another problem solved.

“That was really nice of you”, Charles comments casually, leaning against a column next to him and Max shrugs, still searching for Daniel. “He’s my best friend.”

“Took you long enough to realise it.”

“Shut up.”

They actually share a grin before Max spots Daniel close to the doors to the balcony and he takes a deep breath. He doesn’t know how much time he has left but Charles isn’t saying anything so he guesses it’s fine and he starts walking towards him.

Daniel is actually alone for once and his eyes light up when he spots him. “Maxy!”

He pulls him into a hug and Max relaxes, breathing in his familiar scent. 

He loves Daniel’s hugs and when he pulls back and Daniel smiles widely at him Max feels himself blush, the butterflies in his stomach having their own little Christmas party. 

“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” He sounds calmer than he feels and Daniel nods immediately. “Sure.”

Max smiles and they step outside on the balcony, Charles closing the door behind them - thankfully Dan was too busy looking at all the lights sparkling below them than noticing and Max lightly kicks Charles’ shin.

When he turns around he realises it’s snowing softly and Max is genuinely shocked for a second.

This is the first time it’s snowing during this … experience and Max counts it as a good sign. He is freezing but- it has something romantic. Daniel likes romantic. 

“What-“

Max’s phone rings and he blushes a little while pulling it out, giving Dan an apologising look. “Sorry that’s my Mum, can I- can I take that for a second?”

Daniel nods immediately, a soft smile on his lips while he watches him and Max takes a deep breath, before answering. He still remembers his Mum’s sad voice from his past few fuck ups, her crying and his throat tightens when he hears her soft voice. 

“Max.” She still sounds so surprised and he feels so fucking bad for how he treated her. 

“Hi, Mama”, he answers, leaning against the balustrade and trying to ignore the cold, switching to Dutch out of habit. “You’re okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry.” He can basically see her smile in front of him and before she can keep talking Max collects the rest of his courage and ignores the sudden fear of his Mama rejecting him. “I- I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“Is- would it be okay if I come home over Christmas?” He feels so stupid and yet he’s so scared she’s going to have a go at him for being such a dick in the past and-

“Max, I would love that”, she interrupts him gently, her voice sounding a bit hoarse and Max bites his lips so hard he can taste blood. “Really?”

“Of course, baby. We love having you home and I know Luka will be very excited to finally meet his uncle.”

Max smiles instinctively, not looking at Charles or Daniel. “I’m also very excited to meet him.”

“Good. When do you want to come?” 

“I- the 24th maybe? I can take a private jet in the morning.”

“We will pick you up from the airport.” His Mum sounds so happy Max can’t hold back his smile any longer and he clears his throat. “Why did you call, Mama?”

He knows why. But he can’t tell her that and when he hears her laugh the past fuck ups seem very far away all of a sudden. “To ask you if you really want to spend Christmas all alone but you beat me to it.”

“Oh.” Max smiles, watching a car drive by on the street below and his Mama laughs again. “Alright, I’ll let you get back to gaming or whatever you’re doing. Love you, Max.”

“Love you too”, he whispers and he puts his phone down after she hangs up, a small smile on his face.

“All good?” Daniel’s warm voice makes him look up and Max nods. “Yeah, I- I’m going home over Christmas, Dan.”

“That’s great, Max.” Daniel smiles and when Max shivers again he shrugs his blazer off, gently putting it over Max’s shoulders before Max can say something. It’s a bit too small given that Max’s shoulders are broader but-

It means a lot. 

“You’re the Australian who’s always cold”, Max tries to protest but Dan just shakes his head, the smile still on his face. “It’s fine, Maxy. You need it more.” 

They stare at each other and Max hesitates for a second before he reaches for Dan’s hand. It’s surprisingly warm and when Daniel’s thumb caresses the back of his hand softly Max is pretty sure he’s going to melt any second now. 

“I’m really happy you came”, Daniel says quietly, his brown eyes looking at him softly and Max swallows dryly. “Really?”

“Yeah. I- I wasn’t sure if you’d come so I asked Hulk to find out.”

 _What_?! Max blushes deeply and Daniel is smiling softly. “I told myself that I just have this once chance with you and I couldn’t fuck that up. And when I saw you in the crowd - I had a small panic attack and needed Michael to calm me down again.”

Max stares at him, from the corner of his eyes he sees Charles desperately trying to hold back his laugh and while Max is tempted to kick him again - he has other priorities right now. 

He doesn’t miss the irony of Dan’s statement though. 

“You don’t have to worry”, Max whispers and before he can think about it any longer he softly presses his lips against Daniel’s, a rush of adrenaline running through his veins. 

His lips are warm and Daniel seems shocked for a second before he wraps his arms around him, pulling him closer and kissing him back. Max is so relieved he nearly starts crying and he smiles into their kiss, his heart beating fast in his chest. 

Daniel tastes like mulled wine and some waffles, his scent surrounding them and Max hasn’t felt that calm in years. He sighs into the kiss, snow still softly falling around them, settling in Daniel’s curls, Christmas music sounding dull from inside and Max smiles when they both pull back, staring at each other. 

He did it, he really did it.

~

When he wakes up again and is not standing in front of his apartment building but rather is laying next to no other than Daniel Ricciardo in his bed Max nearly starts crying again. 

He did it. He really did it and he turns a little, smiling when he sees Daniel sleeping peacefully next to him. He remembers everything from last night and he hesitates before cuddling a bit closer. 

They spent the rest of the night kissing on the balcony before Max took him home and they made out on his bed before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

Max hasn’t slept that well in years and his hand unconsciously trails over the tattoo on Dan’s thigh, careful to not walk him up.

He’s curious how high up the tattoo goes though and-

“Good Morning.” Max flinches heavily when he hears Charles’ voice behind him and he turns around so quickly he is pretty sure he heard some bones in his neck crack.

Charles is leaning in the corner of his bedroom, wearing the same clothes as last night with a huge grin on his face and Max narrows his eyes. 

“The fuck are you doing here?!”, he hisses, keeping his voice low and Charles’ grin widens. “Babysitting.”

“But-“

“Remember the deal?” 

“How long have you been standing there??” Max stares at him speechlessly, to be honest, he completely forgot about Charles after Daniel and he went home together and Charles sighs. “Since an hour. Spent the night playing Call of Duty on your PlayStation, I really didn’t want to watch you two make out like a pair of horny teenagers.”

Max blushes deeply at the memory of last night before he flips him off. 

“Get out!” He points to the door and Charles raises his hands defensively, still having that shit-eating grin on his face. “Fine but you have to come with me.”

“Why?”

“Mission debrief.” Charles shrugs and Max stares at him for another second before he looks back to Daniel, hesitating. What if-

“He’s not gonna disappear”, Charles snorts, “believe me. Not after all the effort we went through. I’m just taking you to Lewis, we talk and I’ll drop you back off here.”

“Fine”, Max mumbles, carefully sliding out of bed and fishing for his clothes, giving Charles a pointed look. “Can you, like, fuck off for a second?”

“Dick”, Charles mumbles and Max flips him off again but there’s no malice in his or Charles’ words - they’re past that.

For now, at least. 

He gets dressed before following Charles into his kitchen, making sure the bedroom door is closed. 

“Dan won’t notice?”, he makes sure while slipping into his shoes (he won’t make the same mistake again and leave without shoes) but Charles shakes his head. “Nope, don’t worry. He’ll only wake up when you’re back.”

“Are we not taking the car?”, Max asks, running a hand through his hair and trying to smoothen it. “I mean-“

“Nah, takes too long.” Charles waves dismissively before offering him his hand and Max sighs before taking it. “Fine.”

~

When the darkness around him disappears they’re standing in front of the small palace again, snow falling gently around them and Max takes a deep breath. 

“Where are we exactly?”, he asks, curiously looking around now that he knows it’s not some elaborate prank by the other teams or he has been kidnapped by his lunatic colleagues, “it doesn’t look familiar at all.”

“That’s classified information.” Charles is smirking, waving his hand dismissively so the doors open and Max rolls his eyes, muttering “show-off” under his breath. 

They pass a few people Max doesn’t recognise but they wave at Charles and soon they’re back in the throne room, Lewis having a broad smile on his face when he spots him. 

“Max!” He looks genuinely happy to see him and Max bites his lips, suddenly insecure again.

“Hi”, he mumbles, burying his hands in the pockets of his jacket and avoiding Seb’s knowing smile. “Did you watch me fuck up all the time?” 

“Yeah.” George grins, leaning next to Pierre and Valtteri and Max wants to glare at him but- he owes them. A lot. 

He just sighs in defeat and Lewis gets up, slowly coming closer and Max- look, he _knows_ Lewis. Has been with him in the paddock for years, has talked with him so many times has had so many press conferences with him and yet- 

There’s a sudden aura around him, something ethereal and warm and Max swallows, feeling a little bit intimidated. 

“You learned from it, didn’t you?”, Lewis says quietly, his brown eyes looking at him calmly and Max nods, keeping his hands in his pockets to stop them from fidgeting. “Yeah.”

“Thanks to me”, Charles throws in, a proud grin on his face and Max snorts. “You were just annoying.”

“I helped.”

“You-“

“You both did what we expected of you, alright?”, Seb interrupts them exasperated and while Charles pouts Max smiles weakly. 

The experience is still lingering in his bones, the hurt and pain he caused his friends and family, the disappointment and he just wants to make things right. And he knows he owes them a lot.

But there’s one question that has been bothering his brain for a while now and he clears his throat. 

“Daniel- what magic did you use on him? Did you influence him, his feelings-“ 

“We didn’t”, Lewis interrupts him, a reassuring smile on his face. “Don’t worry. We are just responsible for the time loop and we made sure all flights to Australia are already full so he had to stay in Monaco. But everything else that happened was influenced by your and his own actions. And his feelings for you are completely genuine.”

That is a massive relief and Max breathes out, feeling way lighter all of a sudden.

“We’re really proud of you”, Nico says, stepping next to Lewis and Seb nods. “You have a good heart, Max. Don’t forget that.” 

Max stares at them, a bit overwhelmed all of a sudden and he awkwardly runs a hand through his hair only to realise he forgot his cap. 

Goddamnit. 

“I- thanks, I guess”, he mumbles and from the corner of his eyes he sees Pierre and George grinning at him, Valtteri just nodding. 

“Thanks for sorting my relationship out”, George then comments casually, smirking when Max’s head snaps up. “It’s really appreciated, mate.”

“Do they know about your side job?”, Max asks dryly but George just laughs, shaking his head. “Nope. But Lando called me this morning and Alex texted me and they’re good.”

Max nods slowly, he doesn’t really understand their relationship but he also doesn’t have to - as long as they’re all happy that’s all that counts. 

“We’re having a small Christmas party later at our flat”, Lewis then suddenly throws in, leaning against Nico (Max is still very confused). “Do you and Daniel want to come over?”

Max feels a strange warmth blossoming in his chest, his cheeks blushing a little. Lewis has never invited him to his flat before. They haven’t even been friends before that. 

And Max has always admired Lewis a bit. 

Scratch that, he has always admired him a lot and everything he has archived. 

The invitation sounds really nice and he catches himself nodding. “Yeah, I’ll- I’ll ask him.”

“Brilliant.” Lewis smiles, squeezing his shoulder before he takes a step back, nothing but kindness in his brown eyes. “I think it goes without saying that you can’t tell anyone about this, right?”

“Yes, of course.” Max nods again, holding his gaze. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“Good, because we will keep watching you,” Charles smirks and Max snorts. “We are in the same paddock, dickhead, of course you’ll see me. Stop being creepy.”

George bursts out laughing while Pierre grins and Seb sighs. 

“Children”, he mutters and Lewis smiles, taking a step back before turning to Charles. “Alright, Charles, can you take him back?”

“Yeah.” Charles outstretches his hand and Max takes it without hesitation, the familiar darkness surrounding him just seconds after.

~

He’s back in his kitchen, Charles next to him and they look at each other a bit awkwardly, Max running a hand through his hair. “...thanks, I guess? I- you’re alright, Charles.”

“You’re okay too, Max.” Charles grins and he pulls him into another weird hug, Max awkwardly patting his back before gently pushing him a little. “Come on, I want to have a really cheesy morning with my boyfriend.”

He can’t stop smiling when he talks about Daniel and Charles rolls his eyes with a grin. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll let you two be all mushy and cheesy in peace. See you tonight, dickhead and Merry Christmas.”

He actually leaves through the door and Max snorts, staring after him for a second. 

He grew so used to having Charles around and while he doesn’t really miss him- it’s strange not having his constant commentary around. 

He shakes his head and turns around, smiling when his gaze falls on the Christmas tree in the living room. He has to admit it’s nice, his flat has never felt this cosy and homey and he switches some Christmas music on, not able to hold back a grin when ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ starts playing over his speakers. 

He takes a deep breath, sunlight flooding into his living room which is connected to his kitchen, the snow still sparkling outside. 

It’s beautiful and Max catches himself humming along to the song while heading back to the kitchen counter, starting to make some coffee.

He’s not a fan of it but he knows Daniel likes it and he turns to make Dutch pancakes after. He feels oddly at peace, happier than he has been in years and he quickly gets rid of his jacket and shoes after he realises he’s still wearing both. 

It smells like coffee and pancakes and fir needles in the kitchen and he leans against the counter, only wearing sweatpants and some old T-Shirt he quickly grabbed when Charles kicked him out of bed before.

He’s shovelling the last few pancakes on a big plate when Daniel appears in the kitchen door, a sleepy smile on his face and he lazily runs a hand through his dark curls.

“Morning”, he mumbles, his voice is still rough and Max stills, taking a moment to just look at him. Daniel is wearing sweatpants as well and he apparently grabbed one of Max’s old Red Bull T-Shirts - Max feels his throat tighten a little. 

He looks good and the whole situation is so domestic that he suddenly feels a bit lost. He nearly wishes Charles was still there just so he has someone who tells him what to do but then Daniel is suddenly in front of him, kissing him gently, his beard stubble scratching against him and Max feels like he is close to melting on his kitchen floor.

“Hey”, he whispers and Daniel’s smile could probably lighten up the whole room. “Morning, darling.”

Max feels his heart skip a beat at the pet name and he clears his throat, turning back to the pancakes when he realises he’s blushing.

“I, eh, made you some coffee”, he says, waving towards the mug on the counter before taking the plate. “And some pancakes.”

Daniel’s eyes light up and he pulls him into a spontaneous kiss before stealing one of the small pancakes and popping it into his mouth.

“You’re the best Maxy”, he says with a full mouth and Max laughs, happiness bubbling inside of him.

“Lewis, eh, he texted me and asked if we wanna come over to his tonight? He’s hosting some small Christmas party and yeah”, he then goes on and Daniel nods, chewing before swallowing. “Yeah, sure, sounds great!”

“And my Mum- so I’m going home tomorrow but- do you wanna come with me?” Max nervously shifts his weight from one foot to the other and Daniel’s smile turns soft. “I’d love to. Haven’t seen your Mum in a while and- oh my god, you’re an uncle now, right??”

His eyes are sparkling with excitement and Max nods, smiling when he thinks about his little nephew. “Yep. Luka.”

“If your Mum has nothing against me coming?”

“Nah, she loves you.” Max smiles and Dan laughs, easily sliding an arm around his waist and pulling him closer. “True.”

The gesture feels so natural and Max feels how his heart is doubling in size, love slicing through him, warming him. 

They end up on the sofa next to the Christmas tree, eating pancakes and listening to Christmas songs, Max cuddled into Daniel’s side and for the first time in years he feels at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> you can follow me on tumblr @ [verstappened](https://verstappened.tumblr.com/) if you want to talk to me about my fics 💛
> 
> Kudos and comments are very appreciated thanksss 💛


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